How and why did the United States become a world power and overseas empire?
Explain the emergence of the United States as a world power, the causes and results of the Spanish-American War, the acquisition of overseas territories, and the foreign policies of the early 1900s (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.9).
A SOL-level answer on American imperialism for the VUS exam: the motives for overseas expansion, the causes and results of the Spanish-American War (1898), the acquisition of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam, the annexation of Hawaii, and policies like the Open Door and the Panama Canal.
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What this topic is asking
Standard VUS.9 asks how the United States became a world power and overseas empire around 1900. The exam wants the motives for expansion, the causes and results of the Spanish-American War (1898), the territories the nation gained, and the early-1900s foreign policies (the Open Door, the Panama Canal, "big stick" diplomacy). This topic opens Reporting Category 3 (1914 to 1945) by setting up the nation's new global role.
Why the United States expanded
With the frontier closed, expansionists looked abroad for the next arena of growth.
The Spanish-American War (1898)
The war's results made the United States an empire: by the peace treaty it gained Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, and Cuba became effectively a US protectorate. The acquisition of the Philippines in particular sparked a bitter debate at home and a long, violent insurrection there. In the same year (1898) the United States annexed Hawaii.
New foreign policies
As a world power, the United States pursued new policies:
- The Open Door Policy: demanded that all nations have equal trading access to China, protecting American commercial interests as European powers carved up Chinese trade.
- "Big stick" diplomacy: Theodore Roosevelt's approach of negotiating while backing it with naval power ("speak softly and carry a big stick").
- The Panama Canal (opened 1914): the United States supported Panama's independence from Colombia and then built a canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, dramatically shortening shipping routes and letting the navy move between oceans quickly. The canal is the test's prime symbol of expanded American reach.
Try this
Q1. Name two territories the United States gained from the Spanish-American War. [2]
- Cue. Any two of: Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines (and Cuba as a protectorate).
Q2. Explain the strategic importance of the Panama Canal. [2]
- Cue. It connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, letting ships and the navy move quickly between them and greatly increasing American trade and military reach.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of VDOE exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
VA VUS SOL (released item style)1 marksAs a result of the Spanish-American War (1898), the United States
(A) gained control of overseas territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
(B) lost all of its colonies.
(C) entered World War I.
(D) purchased Alaska.
Show worked answer →
A single-select item on the results of the war (VUS.9).
Correct answer: (A). The United States defeated Spain and gained Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines (and Cuba became a US protectorate), marking its emergence as an overseas imperial power.
B, C, and D are wrong. The test rewards naming the territories the United States gained.
VA VUS SOL (released item style)2 marksThe United States became a world power around 1900.
(a) Give one motive for American overseas expansion. (b) Explain the strategic importance of the Panama Canal.
Show worked answer →
A two-part constructed response (VUS.9), 2 points (1 per part).
(a) 1 point: any valid motive, such as new markets for American goods, sources of raw materials, naval and military strength (coaling stations and bases), national prestige, or a sense of mission.
(b) 1 point: the Panama Canal (opened 1914) connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, letting ships and the navy move quickly between them, greatly increasing American trade and military reach.
Markers reward one economic, strategic, or ideological motive and a clear account of the canal's value.
Related dot points
- Explain the goals and achievements of the Progressive movement, including the muckrakers, regulation of business, political reforms, and the constitutional amendments of the era (16th, 17th, 18th, 19th) (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.8).
A SOL-level answer on the Progressive Era for the VUS exam: the muckrakers who exposed abuses, the regulation of business and food and drugs, political reforms expanding democracy, the conservation movement, and the Progressive amendments (16th income tax, 17th direct senators, 18th prohibition, 19th woman suffrage).
- Explain the causes of World War I, the reasons for American entry (submarine warfare, the Lusitania, the Zimmermann Telegram), and the impact of American involvement on the war's outcome (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.9).
A SOL-level answer on World War I for the VUS exam: the underlying causes (militarism, alliances, imperialism, nationalism), why the United States moved from neutrality to war (unrestricted submarine warfare, the Lusitania, the Zimmermann Telegram), and how fresh American troops helped the Allies win.
- Describe the World War I home front (mobilization, propaganda, limits on civil liberties, the Great Migration) and the peace, including Wilson's Fourteen Points, the Treaty of Versailles, and the Senate's rejection of the League of Nations (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.9).
A SOL-level answer on the World War I home front and peace for the VUS exam: war mobilization and propaganda, the Espionage and Sedition Acts and Schenck v. United States, the Great Migration, Wilson's Fourteen Points, the Treaty of Versailles, and why the Senate rejected the League of Nations.
- Explain the causes and effects of rapid industrialization after the Civil War, including new technologies, big business and the captains of industry, the rise of labor unions, and the response of government (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.8).
A SOL-level answer on industrialization for the VUS exam: the technologies and resources that drove rapid industrial growth, big business and figures like Carnegie and Rockefeller, monopolies and trusts, the rise of labor unions, and early government responses such as the Sherman Antitrust Act.
- Describe the new immigration of the late 1800s, the growth of cities, the experiences and challenges of immigrants, nativism, and the response to urban problems (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.8).
A SOL-level answer on immigration and urbanization for the VUS exam: the shift to new immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, Ellis Island and Angel Island, the rapid growth of cities, the challenges immigrants faced, nativism and restriction, and reform responses like settlement houses.
Sources & how we know this
- Standards of Learning Documents for History and Social Science, Adopted 2015 — Virginia Department of Education (2015)
- SOL Practice Items (All Subjects) — Virginia Department of Education (2024)